Any World That I'm Welcome To
by The Voice in the Wilderness
Summary: A song-fic of Kagome's introspection.


All characters from "InuYasha" are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and associated copyright holders. I make no money from this fan fiction. "Any World That I'm Welcome To" and contained lyrics in italics belong to Steely Dan. No infringement is intended.

_If I had my way I would move to another lifetime_

_I'd quit my job, ride the train through the misty night-time_

_I'd be ready when my feet touch ground_

_Where ever I come down_

_And if the folks will have me,_

_Then they'll have me_

Riding to school with Yuka, Eri and Ayumi, Kagome's mind drifted, as it often did, to her life in the past. The gentle swaying of the train lulled her into a contemplative daze and having ignored her chatty friends for the last 10 minutes, they'd given up trying to nudge Kagome's post-graduation plans out in to the open for group discussion.

It was the last day of her senior year's final exams and having had plenty of time to study last night, Kagome had little worry for her grade by this point in time. It really didn't matter to her at all; she only went through the motions in this world for the sake of her family's honor. Kagome's heart still rode high with her friends in the past. After all that she had been through, all the death, pain and sadness that accompanied Naraku's bid for dominion over all life with the corrupted Shikon no Tama, Kagome felt adrift in her modern world. She felt she no longer belonged – in fact, she wondered now if she ever really had. Chewing her lip in unconscious habit, Kagome wanted to remember what it felt like to belong, to be _home_.

_Any world that I'm welcome to _

_Is better than the one I come from_

The real question was: what should she do once her obligations here were over? Kagome only knew that she needed to go back so badly her breath caught in her chest and tears stung her eyes just thinking about the passage through the old, dry well.

_I can hear your words_

_When you speak of what you are and have seen_

_I can see your hand reaching out_

_Through a shining day-dream_

_Where the days and nights are not the same_

_Captured happy in a picture frame_

_Honey I will be there, yes I'll be there_

Turning her head away from her oblivious modern friends, she allowed herself to remember her true companions, all as clearly as a snap-shot. She saw Sango's deep, kind heart and hesitant smile, Miroku's rakish grin and his sad eyes. Shippos's shining face and Kaede's gentle hands brought warmth to her heart that Kagome could feel radiating from her heart through her school's jacket. As she allowed herself to finally see InuYasha's determined face and under that, his great desire to know love and happiness – with her, just plain old Kagome and nobody else, she thought she was going to pull the brake line and bolt for home, her obligations to this now-fantasy world be damned! But after closing her eyes and taking a long shaking breath, Kagome got herself under control and pushed what her heart desired into the broom closet of her soul once more. Today was a finals day, in more ways than one. She would complete this epic task too.

_Any world that I'm welcome to_

_Is better than the one I come from_

_I've got this thing inside me_

_That's got to find a place to hide me_

_I only know I must obey_

_This feeling I can't explain away_

Eri and Yuka figured she was fine. Kagome was a stable constant in their little bubble of a world, a girl who could handle anything except for trigonometry; even persevering through a year's myriad of illnesses to be able to graduate on time with them. Ayumi wondered if maybe Kagome's strength was something she was trying desperately to convince herself of and her quiet friend began to also think, not for the first time, what had happened to that guy at the shrine, the one Kagome kept denying really was nice.

Ayumi had read enough romance novels to place Kagome's far-away looks: that guy seemed always on her mind, even when she was off daydreaming in another world, just as she was now. In the past three years, a small sliver of Kagome always seemed somewhere else. Ayumi alone figured if Kagome needed to talk about it, she would. Somehow, in her ailing year, Kagome appeared to have seen or done something and now her world could never be the same size again.

_Perhaps I'll find in my head_

_What my heart is saying_

_A vision of a child returning_

_A kingdom where the sky is burning_

_Honey I will be there, yes I'll be there_

'I want to be with InuYasha. I want to return to the world beyond the well, I want to return to my home.' Narrowing her eyes at the rising red sun through the train's smudged windows, Kagome straightened her back against the seat, made up her mind and felt hope bloom in her heart. One more small thing to accomplish in her life of tasks completed and then she could go home.

_Any world that I'm welcome to_

_Is better than the one I come from_

_Any world will do…_

"Any World (That I'm Welcome To)"

Katy Lied

Steely Dan, 1975

All copy written character, ideas, lyrics, etc. are the sole property of their respective holders and no infringement is intended. No money is being made from this fiction.


End file.
